Egypt: Nigeria’s National Conscience Party Asks Mubarak To Resign

The National Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Femi Falana has asked the embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign and accept the clear statement of rejection of his unpopular and corrupt government by millions of Egyptians who have demonstrated for days against demanding their right to good governance, and responsive government.

by Femi FalanaJan 30, 2011

The National Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Femi Falana has asked the embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign and accept the clear statement of rejection of his unpopular and corrupt government by millions of Egyptians who have demonstrated for days against demanding their right to good governance, and responsive government.

Several demonstrators have been killed in four days of protests in Cairo, Suez, Alexandria and other Egyptian cities. Police have fired rubber bullets and tear-gas, used water cannon and baton charges, and even thrown rocks at protesters. Over 1,200 have been arrested over the past four days, many of them still in detention, and many others beaten. The government has warned that further demonstrations will not be tolerated.

In a statement dated 30 January 2011, Falana said, “We welcome the unfolding revolution and the demonstration of peoples’ power against bad governance, corruption, poverty, and oppression in Egypt. We strongly condemn the violence and repression by the Mubarak led government against the demonstrators who are simply exercising their internationally recognized human right to assembly and peaceful demonstration. Violence against Egyptians should stop. President Mubarak must resign now, and listen to the voices of millions of Egyptians who are demanding a change for a better future.”

“Using excessive force to crackdown on peaceful protests and torturing protesters are grave breaches of international human rights law, and the African Union must publicly condemn the practice. The AU must side with the Egyptian people if it is to show that it is completely different from the defunct Organization of African Unity (OAU), whose sole purpose was to defend African dictators and not the African peoples.”

“The mass protest in Egypt to demand good governance, accountability and transparency is coming just after a successful revolt against authoritarian leaders in Tunisia. This renewed demonstration of peoples’ power is a stack reminder to African dictators that unless they embrace legal and political reforms, and entrench human rights and the rule of law, they will one day be held to account by their own people. This is the history of Africa but unfortunately many African ‘leaders’ turned dictators have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing.”

“The examples of Tunisia and Egypt also show that African dictators will now find it harder to justify authoritarian rule and dictatorships, and difficult to maintain power. These people revolutions will embolden African citizens to speak up and stand for their human rights, including their right to participate in their own government, and their socio-economic rights.”

“In the case of Nigeria, we reject people of violence and those who have held back the progress of our country for decades. We urge Nigerians to take full advantage of the forthcoming elections to reject and vote out the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led government. We call on the youths to get organized and participate fully in the elections to elect leaders who will reverse the retrogression, poverty, corruption, underdevelopment and misery that have characterised many years of the PDP government. Nigeria is blessed with enormous natural resources, and this government has earned huge revenue from the resources of our people but has nothing to show in terms of development, and provision of basic necessities of life for millions of Nigerians who continue to face absolute poverty.”

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